On The Way to The Sea

Gu Tao • 2010

On May 12, 2008, the biggest earthquake in Chinese history occurred in the filmmaker's hometown of Wenchuan. According to official polls, 69,159 were killed, 374,141 were seriously injured and 17,469 are still considered to be missing. “On the Way to the Sea” was shot by 16mm and 8mm celluloid film. It’s a love letter the director wrote to his parents, the protagonists of the film as well as the survivors of the earthquake.Rich in imagery and sound, this film reveals two survivors’ post-traumatic stress disorder and unconscious memories of the disaster. It subtly mingles documentary and experimental elements as an imagist poetry on film which represents human’s eternal spiritual wanderings. Originally shot on film, it creatively uses experimental approaches such as dark room exposure and optical printing to capture and enlarge the unique poetic beauty that lies within the cinematic presentation.